LDF protesters outside Oommen Chandy's official residence
Several members of the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) today courted arrest during their siege outside Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's official residence. The mass arrests came on the second day of the protests in the 184-day siege planned by the LDF over the Rs 10 crore solar scam.
The Chief Minister's office was dragged into the solar scam in which several businessmen were allegedly duped by Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair of the Team Solar Energy Company.
Exhorting his party members to protest daily, LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan said, "It's not the Chief Minister's aides or others who are responsible for the scam. It is the Chief Minister himself and therefore, he should resign, instead of his close aides."
The Chief Minister, who was not in the capital, has kept his office within the ambit of the probe into the scam.
He urged the Opposition to cooperate and "seize the opportunity" to ensure justice and not merely target him with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections.
The siege outside the Chief Minister's residence marks the third phase of protests by the LDF over the solar scam. In August, thousands of LDF supporters had camped outside the state secretariat. This was followed by black flag demonstrations during Mr Chandy's mass contact programmes across the state.